Pompano Beach native was 8 of 10 from 3-point range in Sunday's win at Yale

But as his slump got deeper and Boynton worked harder to get out of it, the senior from Pompano Beach became a little impatient.

"I was thinking, when was it going to come?" he said.

Boynton found his shooting stroke just in time.

The No. 11 Gators open SEC play Wednesday night at home against Georgia with their leader and leading scorer (13.8 points a game) back on track following Sunday's 28-point performance at Yale.

Senior forward Erik Murphy, second on the team with 12.1 points a game, is expected to miss the SEC opener with a fractured rib suffered during last week's practices.

Boynton is poised to pick up the slack after Sunday's performance.

He entered the shooting 27.8 percent from the field (17 of 61) in his previous six games, including 17.9 percent from 3-point range (7 of 39). Against Yale, Boynton finished 9 of 12 from the field, including 8 of 10 from 3-point range.

"I needed a game like (Sunday)," he said. "Hopefully that turns it around."

To win their second SEC title in three years, the Gators (10-2) will need Boynton at his best.

While streaky throughout his career, Boynton has never endured a slump like he just experienced. During one stretch, he missed 30 of 34 3-point attempts.

Boynton said he put in extra work, including 30-minute shooting sessions after practice with coaches. Boynton said he also would go back to the gym at 9 or 10 p.m. and shoot by himself.

One night in the gym last week, he stopped focusing on his mechanics and something clicked.

"I transferred that to the game," he said. "It helped."

Coach Billy Donovan, one of the nation's best shooting guards when he played at Providence, never told Boynton to stop shooting, but did encourage him to take better shots.

"When you see a guy shoot 28, 29 percent, it's one of two things: either the guy can't shoot, which Kenny has proven that he can, or it's his shot selection," Donovan said.

Boynton also has played a lot of minutes at point guard for the first time and at times struggled to get into the flow of the offense. Donovan said he showed Boynton game film so he could see how he was forcing things during his slump.

"Now all of a sudden you come down as a point guard, and you've got to be consumed with four other people," Donovan said. "What happens is you're less focused on yourself. That's a totally different mindset change for him."

Boynton said he lost a little confidence in December, but has his swagger back heading into SEC play.

With defending national champion Kentucky (9-4) struggling and the conference ranked No. 9 in the RPI, Florida is considered the favorite to win the league.

"We're right up there at the top," Boynton said. "If we do the right things, we can win it."

Boynton, who needs 335 points to tie Ronnie Williams as the school's all-time leading scorer (2,090 points), will be one of the keys.

Donovan hopes Sunday was a sign of things to come.

"Now people say, 'Well, he's out of his slump,'" Donovan said. "But I think every game is different. Just because he shot the ball well against Yale doesn't mean it's going to continue into the year."